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In the largest expansion project in Magic Kingdom theme park history, Walt Disney World officially opened it’s New Fantasyland this morning 6th December 2012 and we were there to see it.

The new area came together after more than five years of development and construction and Staggs commented “Walt Disney once promised that Disneyland, and by extension all of our parks, would never be complete as long as there is imagination left in the world,” Staggs said. “New Fantasyland is a spectacular addition to the Magic Kingdom that delivers on Walt’s promise. We’re thrilled to take guests beyond the walls of Cinderella Castle to discover new worlds featuring iconic Disney characters and stories in ways that are more imaginative, more interactive and more immersive than ever before.”

New Fantasyland features attractions, dining, shopping, character interactions, recreation and more – laid out fairy tale-style amid waterfalls, grottoes, arched bridges, forests and circus big tops. A multiyear expansion project that doubles the size of the existing Fantasyland, the sprawling new area lies just beyond the existing Fantasyland in the shadows of Cinderella Castle. We’ll be reporting back with more on the new attractions at the New Fantasyland over the coming days so do check back often!

Here’s some video and more photo’s are at FloridaLeisurePhotography.com

Hi! I’m Renae and I work on the Florida Leisure Vacation Homes front desk and recently I was asked if I wanted to visit Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party with my family and then, to write about it for the Florida Leisure blog. Of course, I jumped at the chance to visit Magic Kingdom and take in one of the years best special events!

I was so excited to finally get to the gate and as we walked in, the firs thing I noticed were decorations … they were awesome and, I should add, not too scary for my 4 year old niece Breanna that we were toting.

As we walked into the park, the main theater was the first thing we saw, and this is where we did the meet & greet with Cinderella, Aurora & Rapunzel. It was awesome!

We then journeyed on into Tomorrow Land and we climbed aboard the Buzz Lightyear ride, shooting Aliens and spinning through the galaxy.

After that, we went on to ride the Tea Cups in Fantasy Land, and then to ride Dumbo, all the while stopping and collecting candy at the various Trick – or- Treat stations that were marked with huge lighted  Mickey Pumpkins.

By now the evening was flying by and as we circled around to Liberty Square we headed in the “It’s A Small World” ride. I had always heard about that ride all of my life, and I know some people have a love/hate relationship with it, but for me it was just as amazing as I had been told.  The next stop on our journey had to be “The Haunted Mansion” ride. The great thing about the attraction is that it gives you the option to journey through the cemetery or just go straight into the ride. We opted for the cemetery, which turned out to be the right choice as it was very cool. The ride also had some of the greatest effects but rest assured, nothing not too scary for our little one.

Just as we were exiting the Haunted Mansion, we were in perfect time for the “Hallowishes” fireworks display… simply one of the best we have ever seen. Once the firework display had finished we then dashed to see the “Boo To You” parade.  It turned out to be our favorite part of the evening. The performances were perfect and leading the way was the “Headless Horseman.”  The “Headless Horseman’ is the prelude to the parade and it’s really quite eerie as well as impressive as he comes riding through the park and down Main Street on a huge black horse.

With the parade over, we then headed to the “Pirates of The Caribbean” ride, and on our way, the 4 year old looks at me and says “Can we live here?”…I wish. LOL. But, perhaps the best part of our family adventure came as we were walking out to the ferry boat that shuttles you back to the parking lot. It was then I heard my mom say “ I can’t believe I waited this long to come here.” She turns 62 next month.

It just goes to show you can never visit Walt Disney soon enough! If you haven’t been before or you’re delaying making a visit, I urge you to do so sooner than later. To hear my mother say “I can’t believe I waited this long to come here” really hit home and it shows how quickly life passes us by and what really is important to each of us. All in all an amazing, magical and memorable evening. One we all hope to do again before too long.

Hope you enjoyed my first blog post… wonder what I’ll write about next!

More photos at FloridaLeisurePhotography.com

On Thursday we announced that Walt Disney Parks are for the first time ever, allowing alcohol to be served in Magic Kingdom when the new “Be Our Guest” restaurant opens at the new Fantasyland in December. As a result, we thought we’d take a closer look at the new restaurant and see what you can expect to experience when you dine there.

The “Be Our Guest” Restaurant magically drops Magic Kingdom diners into the splendor, elegance and fairytale charm of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” with a setting right out of the hit animated feature film: the magnificent castle of The Beast, where guests dine in three richly appointed rooms that bring to the story to life.

“This is a whole new level of theming for a Disney restaurant,” said Maribeth Bisienere, vice president of Food & Beverage and Merchandise for The Walt Disney Company. “More than ever, we’re using storytelling and creativity as we develop our menus.”

Be Our Guest Restaurant is the next step in the evolution of creating delightful dining experiences for Disney theme park guests, she added.

The Setting.

The storytelling starts with Walt Disney Imagineering,  This time it’s all about the mysterious new Magic Kingdom castle that’s home to Beast from “Beauty and the Beast, ” a forbidding castle in the Fantasyland “countryside.” Guests pass through an old gateway to a stone bridge and through wrought-iron gates with six beastly figures along the sides – the first of many that reinforce the story of the Beast’s transformation.

The restaurant’s spacious interior re-creates the look of the film in great detail. Lunch guests enter through the Armor Hallway, where six suits of armor stand along the wall (listen closely for an occasional whisper from the metal figures), and into the Beast’s Parlor to place lunch orders on five guest-activated terminals. For dinner, guests enter directly into the majestic Ballroom.

There are three dining rooms: the stately Ballroom, the forbidden, dramatic West Wing and the delicate Rose Gallery. The Ballroom conveys the elegance of the film with a coffered, 20-foot ceiling with fluffy clouds and cherubs, sparkling chandeliers and a terrazzo floor. At the far end of the room, 18-foot-tall arched windows look out to the French countryside, where special effects create a light snowfall through the starry sky.

The West Wing dining room is darker and more mysterious, with the glass bell jar containing the enchanted rose slowly dropping petals as time runs out for the beast. Over the fireplace, a portrait of the young prince in human form is slashed by the claws of the beast. As lightning flashes, the image in the portrait transforms, changing from prince to Beast.

The Rose Gallery dining room features a large music box centerpiece nearly 7 feet tall with Belle and the Beast slowly twirling atop. Along the walls are paintings and tapestries that celebrate the characters from the story, with four of the tapestries inspired by background art from the film. Throughout the room, carved roses are featured, including intricate tile mosaics on the floor.

Music is an important element throughout the restaurant, with musical themes from the film adding to the ambience. In the Ballroom, a 50-piece orchestra recorded the music from the film. In the adjacent Rose Gallery, special music box arrangements were recorded of the same pieces heard in the Ballroom, in perfect synchrony, so that guests moving from room to room will hear the same tune transformed from one style to another. In the West Wing, a somber, melancholy arrangement creates yet another mood.

The restaurant seats 546 for lunch and 340 for dinner.  In the evenings the Rose Gallery is closed to guests and used as a staging area for table-service dining.

The Cuisine.

About four years ago, the Disney Food & Beverage team started creating a menu to match the theatrics. A team of Disney chefs, including longtime Disney Chef Roland Muller, a native of Alsace, France, developed the French-inspired dishes, creating both a quick-service menu for lunch and more elegant table-service menu for dinner.

“Our role is to finish the story,” said Walt Disney World Executive Chef Lenny DeGeorge. He describes lunch as more of a French bistro, with dishes such as a classic Croque Monsieur (ham, Gruyere cheese and béchamel), braised pork coq au vin style, vegetable quiche and a tuna Niçoise salad.

Guests order at touch-screen devices and head for tables where high-tech touches ensure that food quickly is delivered to each table.

“We wanted dishes that are recognizable, but also movie-themed,” said DeGeorge. “Everything is fresh, made to order, and for lunch we are hoping for the bustling kind of energy like the movie scene in the dining room.”

Dinner is a more elegant affair with starters such as mussels Provençal, French onion soup and charcuterie (cured meats with cornichons, pickled onions and toasted whole-grain bread). Entrées pay homage to a castle feast in the 1400s with whole roasted hen, thyme-scented pork rack chop, and pan-seared salmon with leek fondue and saffron potatoes.  Gourmet cupcakes – strawberry cream cheese, triple chocolate and lemon meringue — and mousse-filled cream puffs are finished tableside.

And just for dinner, select wines and beers will be offered that complement the French-inspired cuisine.

“As part of the overall theming, we wanted to offer wine that enhances the guest experience and complement the French-inspired cuisine,” says Stuart McGuire, beverage director, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “The wines focus primarily on France’s famous wine growing regions including Champagne, Alsace, Loire, Rhone, Burgundy and Bordeaux. We’ll also offer the leading French beer, Kronenbourg 1664, and, staying in the general region, we’ll also offer Belgian beers.”

L’amour Vrais, French for “true love,” is a souvenir, castle-themed goblet with one of two signature non-alcoholic drinks: an all-natural fruit juice punch and wild berry extract sweetened with organic cane juice and topped with lemon-lime foam, or an all-natural pure squeezed lemonade sweetened with organic cane juice and topped with wildberry foam.

Just For Kids

For lunch, the kids’ menu includes a grilled carved turkey sandwich, braised pork with sautéed green beans and potato-vegetable mash, turkey meatloaf (shaped like Mickey Mouse) and seared mahi mahi. Dinner is grilled steak, fish or chicken breast with fresh vegetables.

“We’re even making the ketchup from scratch using carrots,” said DeGeorge. “And the meatloaf also has vegetables, so kids are getting their vegetables and don’t even realize it.”

“Every Detail Part of the Story”

Servers complete the picture, dressed in a style inspired by European fashions from the 1400s to the 1600s: a royal purple embroidered doublet, or vest, over a shirt with knickers that reach just below the knee. For evening service, a jabot or ruffle, buttoned at the throat, is added.

“From the moment they cross the bridge into the castle, it’s all about immersing our guests in the dining experience,” says Bisienere.  “Every detail is part of the story.”

For a full look at the menu’s click below:

Lunch

Dinner

Beverages

The grand opening for the New Fantasyland_® expansion at Magic Kingdom_® Park at Walt Disney World_® Resort will take place on December 6, 2012!  Attractions included in this opening are Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid, Be Our Guest Restaurant, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Ariel’s Grotto, Gaston’s Tavern and Bonjour! Village Gifts.

As previously planned, the New Fantasyland_® expansion will continue with the opening of Princess Fairytale Hall in 2013 and the debut of a new Disney “mountain” in the form of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in 2014.

The Storybook Circus section of the New Fantasyland_® expansion, which includes Barnstormer – Starring the Great Goofini, the Casey Jr. Splash & Soak Station, and Dumbo the Flying Elephant, opened to Guests in July.

To celebrate their love of their country, and each other, the Lessures (pronounced like “pressure,” le-SHURE) of Cincinnati, Ohio, married on July 4, 1951. WWII veteran Louis, 93, and his wife Sally, 85, say neither realized the irony of tying the knot on Independence Day.

In honor of their 61^st wedding anniversary, the couple chose Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom to mark the momentous occasion. Louis Lessure, a First Lieutenant Bombardier in the Army Air Corps from 1942-1945, was Walt Disney World’s honorary veteran in the Magic Kingdom Flag Ceremony. Lessure has been honored with a Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service to his country.

Here’s some video from their special day… and everyone at Florida Leisure extends their congratulations and a huge “Thank You” for your service:

When the second phase of Dumbo the Flying Elephant opens, scheduled for July,  waiting in line will become as much of an event as the ride itself. As guests arrive, they’ll receive a circus ticket pager that will virtually hold their place and notify them when it’s their turn to board the attraction. That will free them to go under the Big Top, where kids of all ages will be part of the show. The circus-themed experiences will provide an array of fun-filled games and interactive wonders while they wait to take to the skies. Dumbo the Flying Elephant is part of the expansion project which nearly doubles the size of Fantasyland, a multiyear project that began opening in phases in March 2012 at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista.

Disney Parks guests can get the most out of February 29 when Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California celebrate Leap Year by keeping a theme park on each coast open for 24 hours of nonstop memory-making fun.

For the first time ever, both the Magic Kingdom Park and Disneyland Park will stay open for 24 hours straight as part of a bi-coastal salute called “One More Disney Day.” From 6 a.m., February 29 to 6 a.m., March 1, 2012, local time, guests can fill the extra day of leap year with a marathon of Disney magic and fun.

And for 60 days straight – from Jan. 1, 2012 to Feb. 29, 2012 – a daily winner will be chosen in the “Disney Parks One More Disney Day Sweepstakes” to receive a Disney Parks vacation.  One entrant each day will win a vacation for four to make memories at either Disneyland Resort in California or Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

For the past year, Disney Parks has invited guests to “let the memories begin,” noted Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

“We’re honored that so many guests have shared their Disney memories with us as part of ‘Let the Memories Begin’, and I’m pleased to announce that the campaign will continue throughout 2012,” Staggs said. “To celebrate, for the first time ever, the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Parks will remain open for 24 hours on Leap Day, so that our guests can take advantage of every minute of their extra day to make memories with friends and family.”

Happy New Year!

2012 is going to be a great year to look to as the largest expansion project in Magic Kingdom® Park history will open in phases beginning this year. It will feature attractions and experiences in an area that will nearly double the size of Fantasyland. Among the novelties: Guests will be able to fly high in the new Storybook Circus area with The Great Goofini or with a double dose of Dumbo the Flying Elephant; “immerse” themselves in Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid, a major, all-new attraction that will see guests travel with Ariel and her friends through their exciting adventures above and below the waves – all against a musical backdrop of songs from the classic film; and “Be Our Guest” at the Beast’s Castle.

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is another big ticket item that guests will be waiting anxiously for, as the train will take them on a rollicking, musical ride into the mine “where a million diamonds shine.” The coaster will feature a first-of-its kind ride system with a train of ride vehicles that swing back and forth, responding to every twist and turn of the track. The journey will be accompanied by music from the classic Disney film and animated figures of Snow White and the Dwarfs.

For those guests that love the character interaction, there is also a new experience in store for them. At the Princess Fairytale Hall, Aurora, Cinderella, and other Disney princesses, such as Tiana and Rapunzel, will greet everyone in their new home, an elegant royal court on the site where Snow White’s Scary Adventures stands today. Completion of The New Fantasyland is scheduled for 2014 with most new experiences open by 2013.

In an all-new interactive experience,due early in 2012, “Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom® Park,” Merlin the magician will recruit guests as apprentice sorcerers to undertake missions to subdue villains and ne’er do wells. Armed with magic spells in the form of special cards, guests must search for the magic symbols that lead them to animated villains’ hiding places. By casting different magical spell cards, players can do battle with Yzma, Kronk and other “baddies” hiding throughout the land. From fireballs to frantic frogs and cyclones, there are spells to bring down each and every villain, with a simple flick of the wrist.

So, as you can see, Magic Kingdom is going to be a great place to visit in 2012. Make sure you visit Orlando and make a trip to the happiest place on earth. Theme park tickets are available from Florida Leisure.